Forbidden
by StrydeVex
Summary: Percy is broken after the Giant War, and can't escape the nightmares. After praying to his father for help, he is assigned as the Guardian of the Hunt as an attempt to clear his mind by giving him a task after the Hunters have been attacked and Zeus deems it necessary for a Guardian. Percy/Artemis aka Pertemis
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus**

**Well, hello everyone! I have a One-Shot series in progress, and I was requested to do a Percy/Artemis story, but I don't think that would be possible to make happen in one chapter, so I decided to do a story about it! I've noticed while looking for ideas that there aren't that many good ones out there, at least that are finished, so I hope you like this one! I hope that you guys enjoy, review, and thank you!**

**Last note, this is a Beta of a sort, so let me know if you think the story has promise in the reviews so I know whether or not to continue!**

**Chapter 1**

Percy's POV

The war with Gaia had ended, but nobody had escaped unscathed. Everyone has lost people, loved ones, siblings, friends… The list goes on. The Seven all survived by some miracle, but I heard people say I still had it harder than anyone else did in this war. I'd been the person everyone assumed to be the leader, the hero, the one who would make sure everything was ok. I was the one responsible for the victories, as well as the one accountable for failures. Nobody said this, but I knew it was true. When one of the Seven was injured, or nearly killed, it was my fault. I had all the pressure on my shoulders.

Then I fell into Tartarus. Granted, Annabeth was with me in that literal hell, but even with someone there, Tartarus changed a person. When we fought the curses and I saw everything that others had wished on me, I finally knew what they had gone through. Even Calypso had cursed Annabeth for being my reason for leaving her.

We escaped from Tartarus, but you can't explain to others what it was like down there, you couldn't make them understand the torture of every waking moment.

Last, during the final battle with Gaia and her army, I was nearly killed. Gaia herself had tried to "drown" me in some kind of dirt/mud that felt like tar. I'd blacked out for a few seconds before someone pulled me out, although I had been too lightheaded to see who it was. Ever since, I hadn't been able to shake my claustrophobia, and wasn't comfortable around water. I had nightmares about drowning, Tartarus, the people who had died because of me, and that was all that I ever saw at night, and I often woke up screaming from the visions.

I was alone in my cabin, but often there were people around me when I woke up who came to see if I was ok. Occasionally I even woke up to blood running out of my mouth from biting down so hard on my cheek or tongue. I could see their concern in their eyes, and I wish I could make them feel better.

I'd been miserable for months, not sure what to do. I'd wandered the camp, going through the motions, acting like everything was ok, but it wasn't. I could do nothing more than put on my mask of no emotion, my fake smile, but I was broken. A shell of who I used to be. I'd thinned, my skin had gotten pale, I rarely ate, my hair was almost like black straw, and when I looked in the mirror my eyes look shattered.

On rare occasion, Thalia had convinced Artemis to allow her to leave her duties for a few days to come visit me in an attempt to help me, but it did nothing. She always left a bit angry that I wasn't getting better, but I knew it wouldn't last. It never did, and she came back two more times.

Day-in, day-out, I couldn't shake the misery that was my life. Every time my eyes closed, I could see Tartarus. Every time I coughed, I felt like I was choking on soil.

I finally gave up for the day and went into the cabin and laid down on my bed, trying to escape what my life had become. I couldn't even go to the water for comfort anymore. I had nowhere to go.

I shut my eyes and waited for hours until I finally drifted off to sleep, hoping for a single night- just one- without nightmares. Of course, I was disappointed.

_I realized I was in the air. I looked around but saw nothing except grey clouds surrounding me. I started thrashing, trying to find a way to escape._

_The only thing I could sense was the whispering of the winds rushing past me. I couldn't understand what was happening until I heard a voice cutting into my consciousness._

"_You can never escape me."_

_Then I fell._

_I dropped, screaming as I fell. I couldn't see what was below me, all there was, and all there is, is clouds._

_I fell for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few seconds. Suddenly, the clouds vanished and I struggled to turn to see what was below me, and saw I was falling into the ocean._

_I flailed, trying to find anything to keep me from falling into the sea, but there was nothing but air._

_I fell to the water, and hit with a huge splash. It didn't hurt me because I was the son of Poseidon, but I immediately started panicking. I sank to the bottom of the ocean, clawing at the ocean, trying to go towards the surface, but being dragged down into the darkness by nothing._

_I choked, unable to breathe. I tried to inhale to meet the feeling of cold liquid rushing down my throat. I coughed, trying to find air, oxygen, anything. I couldn't breathe, trying desperately to survive._

_I clawed at my throat, beginning to sink into unconsciousness. I screamed, bubbles rising from me as I sank into the darkness, the nothingness, the abyss where I would die again, just like I did every time I fell asleep._

I woke up screaming.

I bit down hard with my blanket between my teeth, trying to calm down. I was breathing heavily, and tried to slow down my heart rate. The door opened quickly and Annabeth ran in, followed from a few feet behind by Leo, Nico, and Piper.

I just shook my head, and tried to put on a brave face, "I'm ok, I'll be fine."

Annabeth kneeled down beside my bed, and I could see the concern in her eyes, "Are you sure?"

I nodded and she hesitantly stood up and slowly left my cabin. I laid down on my bed, clenching my jaw and I felt tears running down my face, then slowly whispered to myself, "No, I'm not ok."

**I don't know when this will be published, but it's gonna be an interesting story, I hope you enjoyed! Please review and I hope to see you in the next one!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus.**

**Hello again everybody. How have you been? This story still hasn't been published (as of writing this), so there isn't anything to update on really, I just am sitting here doing nothing, lacking motivation to do much, so I decided to work on this fic some more.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 2!**

Percy's POV

I didn't sleep any more that night. I paced my cabin, drew random scribbles in my notebook, or just laid, trying hard not to fall asleep as I thought about drowning, choking, dying…

I didn't know what to do. I've prayed to my father time and time again, and nothing has changed. I'm still afraid of water, the nightmares have continued, and I can't sleep.

I spend most of my time in the arena, taking out my frustrations as life and the unfairness of it all. I've done so much for the Olympians, for the world, and this is my reward. Countless sleepless nights, horrendous nightmares, friends who pity me, family who won't or can't help me, and the complete lack of purpose. I had no point, nothing ever happened and I wasn't needed for anything. I wished for anything, some purpose, a quest, a job, anything to take my mind of what was happening to me.

I laid, thinking about what my life had become and I felt tears start to gather in my eyes. Years, no months ago, I would've wiped those away and tried to "man up" and act brave for everyone, but not anymore. I was broken. I was in shambles. I wasn't me.

I stood up, walking into the camp to try to distract myself from my self-pity. I didn't know what else I could do, so I went to the arena even though it was still mostly dark.

I pulled out my sword and started hacking and slashing at dummies, taking out my anger and frustration, wishing, praying for something to happen, to give me purpose.

I stayed there for hours, trying to distract myself and keep anything from coming to my mind.

Hours later, I heard the horn signaling breakfast. I put away Riptide and made my way to the pavilion to eat what I could. I walked into the pavilion to see a strange sight. The Hunters were sitting at the Artemis table, and it looked like there were fewer than usual. I saw Thalia sitting at the head of the table, staring at her hands. I didn't know what had happened, but I didn't really care at the moment, so I went and sat at my table with my food and tried to eat some of it.

I had only been there for a few minutes when Chiron came to me and told me "Zeus has summoned you to the Olympian Counsel."

I looked at him, confused. "Why?"

"I don't know, I was only told to relay the message to you."

I nodded, then looked back down at my mostly uneaten food. I heard Chiron walk away from me, and kept sitting for a little longer. I slowly stood up and left to the stables. I found Blackjack and told him to take me to the Empire State Building.

We flew quickly, through the clouds and avoiding birds. He dropped me off in an alley near the building so we wouldn't draw attention. I walked to the Empire State Building and in the door. It was mostly empty today, so I walked up to the man at the desk and retrieved the key I needed then made my way to the elevator.

I walked in alone and pressed the button, then watched the doors close me off from the mortal world. I felt the elevator start to rise and stood, waiting. When I reached the top, a ding sounded and the doors opened to show Olympus, but I had long since stopped being impressed by beauty of anything.

I walked down the roads toward the Olympian Council, not reacting to the people or events around me. I ignored the music, the laughter, the greetings, everything… I didn't want these people's approval, their recognition… I wanted my life back.

I reached the council and opened the doors, entering into the silent room. I looked around the room to see the gods and goddesses seated, silently waiting for something. They all seemed a bit on edge and Artemis seemed uncharacteristically slumped in her seat, looking at the floor.

Zeus suddenly said with his loud, booming voice, "Perseus Jackson." I looked to the lord of the skies and kneeled, waiting for permission to rise.

"Rise." He said after a few seconds. I stood and looked to him to see why I was summoned.

"We have summoned you here in order to assign you a task, or more accurately, a position."

I stayed silent, waiting.

"Two days ago, Artemis and her Hunters were ambushed by a large amount of monsters inside of a warehouse where they were hunting. Nearly a quarter of the Hunters were killed in the fight, due to the large number of monsters around them, and they didn't have enough room to use their bows."

I looked back to Artemis to see her slumped even farther into her throne, still staring at the ground. My eyes returned to Zeus.

"We have discussed as a council a solution to the problem, and have decided that the best solution is to assign a Guardian to the Hunt, and we have chosen you. Poseidon has made his point to us that you seek purpose, and as a veteran of two wars, you are experienced in battle. You are also possibly the only male swordsman who Artemis doesn't despise because of your history with the Hunters."

"I accept." I said, with no hesitation.

Zeus nodded, and seemed to think for a few seconds before saying, "You will receive a blessing similar to that of the Hunters. You will be granted immortality, and will live indefinitely unless you are killed in battle, but your senses will also be improved. Your swordsmanship will match the skill of the best in Greek history, your reflexes will be improved to match those of the hunters, and your senses will constantly be working to be conscious of your surroundings in order to protect Artemis and the Hunters. You will also be able to sense when the Hunters are in danger."

I thought for a few seconds, "What do I need to do?"

"Pledge yourself to Artemis as the Guardian of the Hunt, and to protect her and her Hunters."

I kneeled before Artemis, and said "I pledge myself to Artemis, and swear to protect her and the Hunt."

I was suddenly surrounded with a gentle silver light, more like an aura than anything, and I felt the change occur. I could think faster, notice everything, and I had a slight silver aura around me, similar to that of Artemis but less pronounced.

I stood before the gods, waiting for an order.

"As of now, you will go to the camp of the Hunt, and protect them whenever necessary."

The gods all flashed away, leaving me, Poseidon, and Artemis who was still on her throne. Poseidon smiled at me, then flashed away.

I looked to Artemis, waiting for her. She stood, and told me "I am not happy with this decision. I was against it, but the majority of the counsel thought it was the best solution. I will send you back to camp to gather your things, then, when you are ready, let me know. As Guardian, you will be able to send me thoughts."

She placed her hand on my shoulder and I appeared in my cabin.

I looked around and realized I would never see this place again, or at least for a long time. I got my backpack and put everything I needed into it. My Minotaur horn, the shield Tyson had built me, and anything I thought I would want with me.

I stood, not sure what to do. I thought about what Artemis had said, and thought about the Hunt's camp.

Suddenly, I appeared on the border of the camp in front of Artemis. She said nothing and left to her tent.

Well, this was the start of my new life. I walked towards the camp.

**I hope you guys are enjoying this, it's been interesting to write so far. I hope it turns out well. Please review and I hope to see you in the next one!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus**

**Hello again everybody! I haven't been writing much lately, so I thought it was about time that I started going again. I will try to justify it though, I've been busy in school and I've been spending a lot of time working on ideas and getting equipment and things set up for a YouTube channel with my friend, so I've been really busy. Still, I hope I can write more often that I have been again.**

**Also, I've been asked about why Annabeth is in this story. Almost every Pertemis story that you see on here has the idea that "Annabeth cheated on Percy, so he left" so I want to be unique if I can. I would like this story to stand out from the others, and I hope it's good.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3!**

Percy's POV

I made my way toward the camp, not sure what else to do. The hunters weren't back yet and were either still at Camp Half Blood or on their way here.

I walked into the center of the camp where a table was set up, and there was a small cold ring where fires were meant to be lit, but there wasn't one there now. Artemis was sitting at the table alone, and she still looked despondent. I didn't blame her after hearing that she has lost so many of the girls that she considered her sisters.

I walked to the table, but stayed standing. I figured it would probably be better to show respect than be turned into some animal or lose my ability to have children, seeing as that was something she had done to men in the past.

I stayed silent for a few seconds, waiting for her to say something. When she stayed silent, I said "I'm sorry about what happened to your hunters."

She stayed silent for a few seconds, still looking at the table before looking up at me. She didn't look annoyed, but I could see the sadness in her eyes as she the memories ran through her mind.

"Sit." She ordered.

I sat down and looked at her, waiting for whatever she was going to tell me.

"If you're to be staying with the Hunt, there are going to be some rules."

I had expected this. I wanted as few of the hunters to hate me as possible, seeing that the only friend I would have here was Thalia.

"You will not flirt with any of the hunters. Second, you will not harm any of the hunters, even if they try to provoke you. They hate men and most have a bad history with them, so it's to be expected. Third, you will do as you are told and accept orders without question. You will do chores and aid the Hunt in whatever way you are told. Last, you will stay in your own tent on the outskirts of camp and eat after the rest of us have finished."

I pursed my lips a little. I didn't like how much I was being excluded and pushed away from everyone, but I wanted the hunters to like me so they wouldn't make my life miserable.

"The girls will be here soon, you're dismissed to your tent. You'll find it on the west side of the camp, and some things are waiting for you there."

I nodded and bowed slightly before leaving. I walked across the camp to where there was a tent set up away from everything else, and I walked inside.

There was a cot set up, and a small case next to the bed. I opened the case to find some clothes waiting for me. They looked like the clothes the hunters wore, but tailored differently for men, or I guess man would be more accurate. I pulled some of the silver and grey clothes and changed into them. They fit well, and I could move around freely while wearing them.

I put Riptide in the pocket of the new pair of pants I was wearing and kept looking around the tent. There was a small journal and a pen set aside next to the case that I opened to see was blank. There was also a small stove to use for warmth and light when it got dark. I also found a silver hunting knife that looked like the ones Artemis and her hunters used, so I put the sheath on my belt.

I walked back outside the tent and looked back to the camp. I heard some talking and noise, so I assumed that the hunters were back in camp. I realized that none of them knew I was their Guardian, so they would probably attack me when they saw me inside their camp. I pulled Riptide out of my pocket, but kept it in pen form in case I needed to defend myself.

I slowly walked into camp, trying to anticipate what would happen. Thalia would be happy to see me, and would probably demand that we spent some time together to catch up now that I was so close to her all the time. The other hunters though, best case scenario was that I have some bows aimed at me before Artemis tells them not to shoot. Worst case… Well, I've seen what they can do to monsters with their bows.

The center of the camp came into view, and I saw the hunters sitting around the table. They all had serious or sad looks on their faces, and there seemed to be quite a few missing. There were quite a few empty chairs.

I walked into the clearing, still holding the pen in my hand, and stood a small distance away while I waited to be noticed. It didn't take long.

One of the girls glanced over and saw me and immediately stood up, pulling out her bow and aiming it at me. About a second later, there were another fourteen bows that joined it.

I didn't see Artemis anywhere, and I expected that this wasn't going to go well.

"What are you doing here _boy_?" One of the older ones spat.

"I was assigned to the position of Guardian by Zeus." I said simply, still waiting for something to happen.

The girl who had spoken sneered, "Just like every other male, you can't help but lie."

Then, she let the arrow go. I immediately swung Riptide in front of me, pulling the cap off as I moved the would-be sword in front of me. I blocked the arrow from hitting me in the chest, but the other girls let their arrows fly. I blocked and dodged all I could, but I took one arrow to the thigh, another to my right shoulder, and a last one in my stomach before Thalia yelled "Stop!"

The arrows stopped and I collapsed onto my knees, blinking my eyes hard in an attempt to get rid of the black closing in around my vision.

My hearing seemed to stop working too, and all I could hear was a ringing in my ears.

I felt a hand on my chin lifting my face and I saw Thalia looking at me. Her mouth was moving but I couldn't hear what she was saying. There was concern and a little fear in her eyes.

The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the world tipping to the side as I fell to the ground.

**Sorry again for this taking so long. I hope that you enjoyed it, and I plan on updating again soon. Please review, and I hope to see you in the next one!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus**

**I'm sorry for taking so long, I just realized yesterday how long it's been since I updated this story. I will try to keep this as canon as possible. I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 4!**

Artemis's POV (Expect this? I didn't)

After I told Percy all of the rules to living with the hunt and where he would be staying, I left on my own to do some hunting. It always seemed to be the best way to calm down, and I needed that right now.

I was stalking a particularly large deer silently through the woods when something felt wrong. I couldn't put my finger on it, or name what was wrong, but something just felt… off.

I gave up on the deer and started my walk back towards the camp, trying to figure out what the gnawing feeling in my gut was.

It seemed to be getting more intense as the walk went on, so I sped up to a jog, and then to a slow run until I neared the edge of the clearing where our camp was. I exited the woods next to Percy's tent, but it was silent and dark. He must've gone into the center of the camp.

I walked across the clearing and between the tents into the center of the camp, and I couldn't have expected what I saw.

Percy was laying on the ground with his eyes closed with three arrows embedded in him, and a pool of blood growing around him.

Thalia was kneeling next to him, trying to get him to wake up while the rest of the hunters stood a short distance away, watching. I could see some of them had their bows out.

I ran over beside Thalia and quickly asked "What happened?"

The skin below her eyes seemed a little damp, and she quickly wiped her face with one hand before answering "Percy was standing at the edge of the clearing, and after he claimed that Zeus made him Guardian, about fifteen of the girls shot at him before I could tell them to stop. He's been unconscious for about five minutes."

"Help me move him to the infirmary tent, I'll deal with the girls later."

Thalia nodded and put her arms under Percy's knees while I picked him up by his torso. We carried him through the tent flaps into the infirmary and laid him down on a bed which was quickly stained red below him.

"Go get Britt. She's a daughter of Apollo, she should be able to help with this."

Thalia nodded again and quickly left the tent.

I pulled a hunting knife out of my sheath and used it to cut what was left of Percy's shirt out of the way. I wiped the blood away from his stomach and shoulder, looking at how deep the arrows were in.

The wounds were bleeding badly, and he still had one that was embedded in his thigh.

I put my hand on his stomach and my other gripped the arrow, then I slowly pulled the arrow out. I could hear it cutting flesh, but there wasn't another option.

The arrow came out, and the blood kept flowing without anything to get in its way. I grabbed a roll of bandages from the table next to the bed and did what I could to cover and staunch the wound while he was unconscious without hurting him more.

I quickly set the bandages back down and moved to the arrow in his shoulder, but this one was near tendons in his shoulder. If they were cut, he wouldn't be able to move his arm for months, much less swing a sword.

I gripped the arrow tightly and started to pull it out from him. Once again, I could hear the flesh being cut while the arrow was drawn back out of the wound, and a small groan escaped Percy's lips. I glanced up to see his eyes still closed, but his jaw was clenched shut. My eyes went back down to the arrow as I pulled it the rest of the way out of the wound.

I set the arrow to the side and once again bandaged the wound, somewhat stopping the bleeding.

Sweat was dripping into my eyes from the stress of the whole situation. As much apathy as I felt for men, it would still be my fault if he died from this, and killing without reason was unforgivable. I used the back of my hand to brush some of my auburn hair out of my eyes and back behind my ear, then looked to the arrow in his thigh. This one didn't look very deep, and should be easier to remove.

I used my hunting knife to cut the hole in his pants a little larger so I could remove the arrow and bandage it. I gripped the arrow and pulled it out, but this one came much easier, and didn't do as much damage. I wrapped his thigh in a bandage, and made sure his bleeding had stopped. His breathing was still jagged, but that should improve in some time. Thalia came back in with Britt, and stopped at the entrance.

"He should be fine. Britt, I need you to change his bandages occasionally to make sure they stay clean."

Britt's lip curled a little when she looked at Percy, "But he's a boy!"

"And he's under my responsibility. Killing without reason is wrong, and he wasn't lying when he said Zeus made him my Guardian."

Britt's eyes dropped when I said that, and she went to the box where were kept our most of our medical supplies, getting some more bandages and nectar.

I looked to Thalia to see that she had a look of relief in her eyes now that Percy was stable.

Suddenly, I heard a jagged gasp behind me and a hard pressure on my wrist. I quickly turned around to see Percy, half-way sitting up in bed with his mouth partially open and breathing jaggedly. He had one hand gripping my wrist, which was next to him while I was speaking with Britt, and the other was clenched into a fist so tight that his knuckles had turned white.

His eyes shot open and they seemed to be filled with pain, but more than that, terror.

It subsided quickly and he realized that he had a hold of my wrist. His face flushed and he quickly let go, saying "Lady Artemis I'm sor-" but was quickly cut off by a fit of coughing. Some blood seemed to start flowing from the corner of his mouth, so I forced him to lay back down.

"Rest."

He still looked scared, as if he thought I was going to kill him, but he did as I asked.

Once he had laid down on the bed, his eyes quickly closed and he fell asleep. His breathing was still jagged and uneven, but he was asleep.

I looked back to Britt and Thalia. "Watch him."

They both nodded and I left the tent. I had some hunters to deal with now.

**Sorry again for taking so long to update this, I've been really busy with a research paper and a lot of Trigonometry homework. I hope you enjoyed, please review, and I hope to see you in the next one!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus**

**Hey again guys, I'm back. I know I have yet to update Comin' Up, but I've really enjoyed this one lately, so I'm working on it again first. I've been really depressed lately, so please excuse lack of feeling or emotion, if I happen to mess it up or forget it.**

**Chapter 5!**

Percy's POV

I slowly gained consciousness and was immediately aware of the pounding headache. It was probably normal, but it still hurt. I moved my tongue around in my mouth and could sense the distinct taste of blood. It was faint, but it was definitely there.

I could tell that there was a bright light outside of my eyelids, so I waited to open them.

I have to get up some time, but my head hurts, my mouth is dry, and I feel tired. I remember the hunters shooting me when I entered their camp, and I didn't want that to happen again.

I groaned inwardly at the constant ache in my shoulder, stomach, and thigh where the arrows used to be before someone removed them. Thalia must've helped me after I blacked out, because no one else in this camp would have.

I moved a bit, gritting my teeth and ignoring the pain that was coursing through me. I put my hand to the wound on my shoulder first, to be met with a wrap of bandage around it. I could feel the bandage on the other wounds too, and the bleeding had stopped.

I licked my lips, trying to wet them. I needed to get some water from somewhere.

I slowly opened my eyes, squinting at the light coming in the door of the tent. I looked around and saw a few other beds with clean white sheets on them, similar to the one I was laying on, but mine had some red on it. It wasn't much, so the sheets must've been changed at some point, but the color was still there. There were some tables with bandages and other basic medical supplies sitting on them, and a larger chest with a first aid cross on it near the corner of the tent.

I looked down at myself to see that my shirt was missing and I was bare-chested, but I was wearing the same pants as before, and the hole from the arrow was cut to be larger. It must've been done to remove the arrow and to attend to the wound.

I stayed where I was for a little while, gathering my strength and testing out my body, moving my fingers and toes to see if they were still working. I slowly, painfully sat up in the bed, and slid to the edge where my legs were dangling toward the ground.

I swung my feet back a forth a little bit, testing the muscles. It was going to hurt because of the thigh wound, but I needed a drink and nobody was going to help me here.

I slid off the bed and landed on my feet, and nearly fell to the ground. I grabbed the bed with my right hand while grabbing my thigh with my left, gasping in pain. The arrow must have gone through a muscle, and grazed something tender.

I stood back up straight and limped over to the large box in the corner, holding my thigh with one hand the whole way.

After an agonizing walk to what I assumed was where they kept their medical supplies, I lifted the lid off of it and looked inside. It had more bandages, some salves, ambrosia, nectar, and some other medical things. I saw a bottle that was full of clear liquid, so I grabbed it and pulled it out. I twisted the lid off and smelled the opening, the make sure.

After checking it, I lifted the bottle to my lips and drank at least a third of it before taking it away from my lips again. The water helped me feel rejuvenated. I poured a little of the remaining water on my wounds, and felt them close and heal. I could still feel a small twinge of pain in my thigh, but it was much better and I could deal with a little pain while walking for as long as it took to finish healing.

I walked back to my bed and checked around on the table for my shirt, but it I couldn't find it. I wasn't sure what else there was to do, so I decided to go back to my tent to get some fresh clothes.

I walked to the door of the tent, and walked outside into the bright sunlight.

There wasn't anyone immediately around. I looked at the sun, and it seemed like it was about noon. The hunters were probably in the center of camp eating their meal, so I'll avoid them and go through the outskirts of camp to my tent.

I walked around the outside ring, where I could hear talking and occasional laughter.

I was most of the way around when Artemis and Thalia walked in front of me from between some tents, seemingly in the middle of a discussion. They didn't notice me for a second, but soon Thalia saw me while she was glancing at Artemis. Artemis quickly turned and saw me also.

"So you're awake." Artemis said bluntly.

I just nodded my head, not sure what else to say.

She pursed her lips before saying "I apologize for what the girls did to you. I don't know why they did that, but the girls responsible have been given their punishment."

"May I ask what the punishment is my Lady?"

"The girls will be responsible for sharpening all of the Hunt's arrows for the next month, along with doing all of the hunting to feed the rest of the Hunt."

I didn't think that was anywhere near enough for nearly killing me, but it would be best not to argue with Artemis about anything.

"And Lady Artemis, if I may ask, who helped me after I passed out?"

She stayed silent for a few seconds before replying with "I did. My hunters hurt you, so it was my responsibility."

I nodded, and waited, not sure what to do.

Artemis glanced down at my body for a fraction of a second before saying "It seems that you need to go get dressed Perseus."

"Yes my Lady." I said quickly, before giving a quick shallow bow and walking off to my tent.

I put on another of the Hunter-esque sets of clothes and laid down on my bed to rest.

This may not be enjoyable, and definitely not easy, but at least I have a purpose again.

**I hope you guys enjoyed this, because I wasn't really sure what else I could write here. Please review and let me know what you think, and I hope to see you in the next one!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus**

**I'm back again for this story! I know I need to get back on Comin' Up, but I really like this one right now, and it's been getting a lot of feedback, so here I am. Please review, and I hope you enjoy!**

Percy's POV

I slowly opened my eyes after the first peaceful night of sleep in months. The nightmares had even invaded my mind while I was unconscious from blood loss, but they didn't come last night.

I stood up and stretched. The spot on my leg where the wound had been still had a twinge of pain whenever I used that muscle, and there was an ache in my stomach and shoulder.

I could see a little bit of the grey light of dawn coming in through the door, and I figured that it must be really early compared to when I usually got up, but I had just woken up. It must have been part of being the Guardian, I woke up at dawn on instinct.

I walked over to the small dresser and pulled out a new set of clothes to wear. They were really different from the jeans and T-shirts that I used to wear, but they were comfortable and I was getting used to them. I pulled off the shirt from the day before that I had fallen asleep wearing, and put on the new one, and quickly changed pants as well.

When I had them on, I pulled on my shoes and tied the laces tight. I stood up and steeled myself to go face the Hunters. I walked out of the tent flap.

No one was around my tent, which wasn't a surprise. I heard voices in the center of the camp, so I walked to the center of the camp.

I walked between the tents into the center of the camp and saw the girls, talking a laughing as they ate their morning meal. I'm not allowed to eat with them, so I stood next to the entrance that I came through, holding my hands in front of me as I waited and watched.

After a moment, Artemis noticed me standing and gave a small nod as a greeting, which I quickly returned.

The girls ate and talked for about 40 minutes as I stood, then got up to leave.

I waited for them to leave the area, and as they were leaving, I got an elbow hard in the ribs from one of them. I didn't react, hoping that if I didn't react, maybe in a few weeks it would stop.

Artemis stopped beside me after the girls had gone.

"Once you finish eating, clean up the dishes and come to the archery range for training. If you're going to be with the Hunt, I won't have you embarrassing us with your lack of talent with the bow."

I nodded, and Artemis followed her Hunters out. I walked to the table and sat down alone. What they had left for me was sparse, but it was something. I got a plate, but remembered before I sat down to offer some to the gods. I scraped some of the food into the fire for my father, as well as some for Artemis, seeing as how I lived with her family of sorts, and was supposed to protect her.

I ate quickly, and gathered the dishes into a pile. It wasn't a very large number of plates, and I could carry them all to a nearby stream without help.

I laid the plates in a row along the bank, and made the water wash over all of them until they were clean, then stacked them all again and carried them back to the center of camp.

After setting the stack of dishes on the table, I made my way to the area where the Hunters were practicing their archery. I stood a small distance away, not sure what else to do for a few minutes, until Artemis came to get me.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't have a bow." I quickly replied.

"So what will standing off to the side accomplish?"

I bit my lip, not sure how to reply, "I wasn't sure what else to do."

Artemis rolled her eyes, and walked to a side of the range, and I followed. We reached the edge to see a rack of bows and plenty of quivers full of arrows.

"Take a bow." She said

I obeyed, picking the weapon up, and slinging a quiver over my back. She led me back to where the girls were practicing and stopped at the line, and waited.

I stood, waiting until she said "Well?"

"What?"

"Are you going to show me what you can do?"

I looked at the targets that were probably 150 feet **(Sorry for all other nationalities, but I'm American) **away, before looking back at her, "I can't hit those from here!"

She sighed and closed her eyes for a second in exasperation, before saying "Just show me what you are capable of."

I stepped up to the line, and I heard the sound of bow strings stop as the girls looked at me to see what would happen. I nocked an arrow and pulled the string back, aiming for a few seconds, then letting go. The arrow didn't even get close to the target.

I heard some of the girls holding in laughter, and some just laughing out loud. I saw Thalia to the side that I could see, and saw some sympathy in her eyes. I quickly looked away and looked at Artemis to see a little annoyance in her eyes at my lack of talent and skill.

"Alright, watch me closely." Artemis said.

Artemis stepped forward to where I was and pulled out her bow and an arrow. She nocked the arrow, pulled it back, and let it go, landing the arrow in the bull's eye of the target with the speed of a goddess.

She turned to me expectantly, as if she thought I would understand it perfectly now, but all I felt was confusion.

"Understand?" She said, still waiting.

"Umm… No, you went too fast."

She put her bow back on her back, clearly annoyed, and said "Then you'd better figure it out." Then she walked off to her tent.

I looked at Thalia and saw the sympathy was still there.

"How can she expect me to learn like that?"

Thalia took a deep breath, "I'll talk to her later, but first, someone needs to teach you how to archery." She said with a joking smile. "Get your bow out and stand how you would if you were going to shoot an arrow."

I got the bow and did as she asked.

"See, your feet are in the wrong spot for one, and you're using your arm muscles too much. Use the muscles in your back." She said as she kicked my feet gently to where they were supposed to be.

"Alright, now let go of the arrow and let it fly."

I let go, and the arrow flew and hit the ground just before the target, but it was closer than the previous attempt.

Thalia sighed, but she didn't look annoyed. "We have a lot of work to do."

**So? How was it? I hope you guys enjoyed, and please leave a review. I'm not sure if I'll update anything for a few days because I have tests and a final to study for. Until then I guess, I hope to see you in the next one!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus**

**I'm back again everyone! My school year is coming to a close, so I'm extremely busy studying for finals, catching up on homework, and getting ready for a trip to California, so I may not have time to update for a while. I'll write on the plane (If that's allowed, I've never flown before) and hopefully get something out, but no promises!**

**Chapter 7!**

Thalia's POV (Didn't expect that did you?)

Archery lessons, or more accurately "Archery lessons", with Percy were frustrating and grueling work, but he made some progress today. After Artemis left, we worked on his form and mostly the basics, since he wasn't any good at archery to begin with.

I left Percy to gather his arrows and made my way to Artemis's tent to talk to her. I didn't get why she got frustrated with Percy so quickly, when she taught new girls how to use a bow, she was kind and understanding with how difficult it was to learn, and she'd shot one arrow and stormed off when "teaching" Percy.

I reached her tent and stood at the flap, and knocked on one of the beams that held the tent up.

"Enter." I heard from inside.

I walked through the tent flap to see Artemis at her desk, looking over a map of the area with some pins in it, marking where she'd been.

I stood, waiting for her to acknowledge me. Occasionally I would just come in and talk. We'd become quite close, and were now friends or sisters, instead of just having a master.

She finally looked up from what she was doing, "Do you need something Thalia?"

I thought about what I was about to ask her, and hoped she didn't get angry.

"Well, I was wondering why you were so short-tempered with Percy earlier. Whenever young girls join the Hunt, you're really kind and understanding, and teach them slowly so they can understand what you're showing them, but with Percy, you shot a single arrow and left, as if you expected him to figure it out on his own."

Artemis pursed her lips slightly.

"I can't tell you why, because I don't know myself. The male just irritates me, and I don't know why. Whatever he does, he manages to irritate me." She said.

I smirked a little, "Yeah, Percy is pretty good at doing that at times, but he's actually really nice. Just give him a chance, I know my cousins well enough to say that."

Artemis just sighed, still looking down at her desk.

"I'll try, but I won't make any promises. He is still just a male, and he wouldn't be here if it weren't for my father's orders. Is there anything else?"

I shook my head, and she said "Then you're dismissed."

I left the tent, and went to help with our nightly chores.

Percy's POV

After Thalia helped me with archery, I gathered my arrows and put them away, alongside the bow I had been using. Thalia hadn't told me what else I was supposed to do, so I decided that I would go back to my tent, because I had nothing else to do until lunch.

I walked through the flap into what was now my home, and sat on my bed.

I looked around, and saw the journal sitting next to the bed, so I picked it up and opened it. Nothing was in it, so I decided I would pass the time sketching. I never told anybody, but I can draw pretty well.

I slowly sketched out on the first page an image of a trident, with an aura surrounding it. I wasn't sure why, but it seemed fitting to where I was now.

I finished it pretty quickly, so I flipped the page open and thought for a moment before deciding on what to draw.

Over the next hour, I drew the image of what had just happened. Thalia standing behind me and off to the side, moving my arms from where they were holding the bow into the correct position, and one of her feet kicking mine to where they should be. I detailed her spiky hair and the lieutenant's circlet in her hair, then the shadows across our faces from the morning sun.

I smiled when I was finished with the drawing. This was going to be rough, with Artemis getting annoyed at me, and the Hunters hating me, but at least I had one friend here.

I closed the journal and set it back beside the where it was before I'd used it, and set the pencil beside it.

I could see the light outside the tent flaps, and judged it to be somewhere between noon and one, so I stood and stretched before walking outside.

The sun was high in the sky, and I could hear the sound of occasional laughter and talking from the pavilion. I still had some time before I would be able to eat, so I stepped back into my tent, but after a few steps, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach.

My breath got a little shaky, and my eyes wouldn't focus for a few seconds before my vision cleared, but the feeling was still in my stomach. I pulled Riptide out of my pocket and pulled the cap off running back outside and looking around. The sound of laughter and conversation was still coming from the center of the camp, so I looked toward the forest to see nothing. I figured there wasn't anywhere else to look, so I ran into the woods.

I had my sword out and was running as quietly as I could, looking for a monster that must be causing this feeling.

After running for about 30 seconds, I heard the sound a bowstring snapping off to my left.

I turned and approached silently to the area that the sound had come from. I got to the edge of a clearing, and I crouched in the bushes to see what was there. I hadn't been expecting what I saw.

In the clearing was Artemis, standing with her hunting knives drawn next to her broken bow, and there were hellhounds and several empousi surrounding her.

Artemis had a few small cuts on her arms, but was otherwise unscathed, and there were several piles of gold dust scattered through the clearing with an arrow in each of them.

The hellhounds and empousi attacked Artemis, and I lunged out of the bushes, stabbing an empousi that was within my range. The rest of the monsters noticed me, and several attacked me while most of them kept fighting Artemis.

I lunged, stabbed, and parried the attacks from the monsters, killing them one by one, trying to watch Artemis to make sure she was still ok, but she was doing fine. After several more minutes of fighting, the monsters were all dispatched and it was only Artemis and I standing in the clearing.

"Are you alright Lady Artemis?" I asked her, looking at the small cuts scattered around her body.

"I'm fine, I didn't need help." She retorted, looking a little annoyed.

I took a deep breath, but tensed as the feeling in my stomach came back.

"Look out!" I yelled, but she cried out in pain and the point of a spear cut through the front of her shirt in her stomach.

I lunged my sword over her shoulder and quickly killed the empousi that was responsible for the wound, and quickly kneeled next to Artemis, where she had collapsed, clenching her teeth in pain, and I could see the ichor flowing from the wounds on her back and stomach.

I grabbed her shoulder and rolled her flat onto back so I could inspect the wound.

I cut her shirt with Riptide more so I could see the wound, and I hoped she wouldn't blast me for this. I brushed my hand lightly over the wound on her stomach to clear the ichor. She tried to say something but she was clenching her teeth too tightly. I took a piece from her cut shirt and wiped my hand over the wound again, but the ichor suddenly stopped flowing. I wiped what was left to see that the wound had disappeared completely. Even a goddess shouldn't be able to heal that quickly.

Artemis's jaw relaxed and she said "Perseus, I'm going to-" But I couldn't hear her anymore, because it was drowned out by my own screams. I collapsed to the ground clutching my stomach from the pain. I looked down through my blurred vision to see my shirt soaking with blood and ichor. I tore my shirt open to see a wound identical to the one that Artemis had before, and I could feel the pain on my back from the entry wound.

Artemis was on her knees next to me now, eyes filled with confusion and concern. Her lips were moving but I couldn't hear anything.

I clenched my teeth and blacked out from the pain.

**Well, Percy sure has a habit of getting severely injured doesn't he? I hope you guys enjoyed this! Please leave a review, and I hope to see you in the next one!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus**

**Well, due to popular demand on the last chapter yesterday, I'm back! A quick note though, I just took my Trig final today, so I'm mentally spent, so please excuse any small grammatical or spelling issues. I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 8!**

Artemis's POV

Perseus's eyes closed while I was kneeling beside him.

What happened? Why did my wound go away, and why is he bleeding? There are no monsters that could've hit him while he wasn't looking, but he was still bleeding a mixture of blood and ichor from his stomach and back, judging from the pool that was building around him, and the stain of color on his shirt.

His shirt was torn from his own hands, trying to figure out why he was hurt before he blacked out, so I could see what looked like a wound from a spear. It was… Exactly like mine was.

I looked down at my shirt, was now had a larger hole where the wound had been, from Percy helping me, but even though there was ichor on the shirt around it, there was no wound anymore.

I put my hand to Perseus's neck, feeling for a pulse. There was one, but it was getting weaker. I bit my lip, trying to think of what to do.

I didn't want to move him, because you shouldn't move somebody who is injured, but I didn't really have any other options. I wrapped my arms around his back and pulled him into a sitting position, then slowly picked him up over my shoulder. He was taller than me, and heavier too, but millennia of hunting had strengthened me enough to carry him.

I slowly walked back towards the camp with Perseus over my shoulder, occasionally hearing a weak cough, or a groan from pain. I clenched my teeth and kept walking.

After several minutes, we reached the camp and I carried him into the infirmary tent, but nobody else was there. I hadn't seen any of my hunters, so I had to tend to Perseus myself.

I finished the tear and pulled his shirt off so I could help his wounds, and my eyes quickly looked over his chest, then to his abs where the wound was. If it wasn't marred by the injury, he would be in what many considered perfect condition. He was toned, but lithe.

I slightly shook my head, getting back to the current problem. I leaned over the bed I'd set him on, and pressed my fingers to his neck, feeling for a pulse. It was still there, but barely.

I bit my lip again, quickly deciding what I needed to do. I got some rags and bandages from the table next to the bed, and quickly wiped the ichor and blood from his stomach, but I had to stop and stare at what I was seeing for a moment, because it shouldn't be possible. Blood and ichor were both coming from his wound.

Until now, I'd assumed that the ichor had been mine, but he was bleeding it himself, along with blood.

I got back to the problem. I would have to figure out what was happening later. I pressed some bandages onto the wound in an effort to stop the bleeding, and after a few moments, got some new bandages to wrap around him.

I gently rolled him over onto his stomach to get access to the other wound, but this one had almost stopped bleeding from the pressure against the bed he was on. I cleaned the wound and bandaged it.

I gently turned him back onto his back, so he was facing upwards. His face was still contorted in pain, and his hair was sticking to his forehead.

I sighed, glad that the immediate danger was over. I wiped the hair out of his eyes, and looked at him. His mouth was clenched tight, his breathing was jagged, and his arms had occasional spasms, but that shouldn't be happening, the pain should have receded somewhat by now.

I decided to stay in the tent, to make sure he would be alright, and change the bandages when necessary, seeing as how I made one of the hunters help him the last time he was hurt, and he got injured somehow while helping me.

I stayed there for several hours, but Perseus stayed mostly still, except for the occasional twitch.

I stood to leave, seeing that he was alright now, but I heard a gasp from the bed behind me. I turned around to look at Perseus, and saw him with his teeth clenched so hard that I thought his teeth might break, his arms shaking uncontrollably, and jagged breathing that was escaping in gasps.

I quickly got back beside him and grabbed his shoulder, shaking it.

"Perseus, wake up." I said, gently shaking him, but he stayed asleep.

"Perseus. Percy!" I yelled.

His eyes shot open, and I could see that they weren't filled with pain, but with absolute and complete terror. He shot up into a sitting position in the bed, despite the wounds. He looked to my hand that was still on his shoulder, then into my eyes. I was about to move my hand, but I was immediately being crushed against him.

I was going to recoil, pull away, scold him, but I could feel his arms shaking uncontrollably behind me, and his breathing jagged, similar to that of the hunters that came young, running from abusive parents.

I wasn't sure what to do, so I gingerly put my hands on his back, trying to comfort him.

After a few minutes, he seemed to realize what he was doing and quickly let go, but the fear was still I his eyes.

"Lady Artemis, I'm- I didn't mean to-" He stuttered, but I interrupted.

"Perseus, it's fine. Are you alright?"

His hand drifted down to the bandages on his stomach.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay."** (I fixed it JRezaei!)**

I pursed my lips, "What about… Whatever just happened?"

He looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"You woke up and you were terrified, what was wrong?"

He looked down at his lap, "Nothing, I'm fine."

I sighed inwardly. I didn't believe that he was alright, but I knew it wouldn't help to push him.

"Well, get some rest. We need to figure out how you got injured, but you need to recover first."

He just nodded and laid back on the bed. I looked at his wounds once more, then his face, wondering what happened, then turned and left him to rest.

**Again, I've been very busy lately, and will be for a while, so I don't know when I'll update, but hopefully it'll be again soon. Please review, and I hope to see you in the next one!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus**

**Hello again everybody. I've been really busy lately, and I'll only be more so in the coming weeks. It's finals week at my school, I have several tests to make up, and then I'm flying to California for a week this Friday. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, because it's probably the last one I'll have time to write for a while.**

**In reply to a review, in case you missed it in the summary, this is a Pertemis story. I originally got a request for my romantic one-shots series to do a Pertemis, but I didn't think there was enough room for story and building in a one-shot, so I'm doing an entire story for it.**

**Chapter 9!**

Percy's POV *Back when he was just wounded*

I clenched my teeth and blacked out from the pain.

_My eyes opened, and I could tell that I was in my dreams, which was unusual. When I get injured and black out from pain or blood loss, it's usually just black, but here I was, and it wasn't going to be good._

_I haven't had any nightmares since I came to the Hunt, and I thought that I was actually recovering, but I guess not._

_I was aware of my surroundings, which were currently Tartarus. It looked just like it had when I was down there with Annabeth: poisonous, burning air, a river of fire, horrible, terrible monsters that I've never seen before, fleshy ground, and the constant air of depression and the lack of hope that anyone down here had. I looked around to see that Annabeth wasn't here, it was only me._

_I started walking, following the path of the river that I had followed with Annabeth when we were down here, except it was different than when it was real, events and time seemed to just skip, and I was traveling much faster than should have been possible, until I reached the Doors of Death. There were no monsters around in the area where they should have been, and there was no noise like there was. I walked to the Doors, only conscious of the burning of the air in my lungs, and a source-less pain in my stomach and back, that I checked for a cause, there was none._

_I reached the Doors, to be greeted by an odd design, that didn't match the real Doors. They were a solid black. Not painted black, but the metal itself was black, as if it was built from pure pain and depression. I looked to the side of the Doors to see a regular, but also black, elevator button._

_I walked around the door, ignoring the intense desire to get in the Doors and leave this terrible, painful place, looking for a monster, or for something that would go wrong, but there was nothing._

_I walked back to the front of the Doors again, and hesitantly pressed the button._

_The Doors opened, but it wasn't into an elevator. It was to my other memories. Suddenly, my dream swirled and changed colors to the top of the original Mount Olympus, but there were no monsters there, and no battle happening. I turned around, and when I turned, I saw Gaia, but she wasn't alone._

_In her arms was an unconscious Annabeth, with her eyes closed and her head lolled back against Gaia's shoulder where she was being held with a knife to her neck, but then it changed. Her face kept changing between all of my friends, family, even gods, from Annabeth, to my mom, to Paul, Grover, Jason, Leo, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Poseidon, Apollo, and Artemis, and that's where it stopped._

_Gaia stood, holding the unconscious now-Artemis in front of her, then started talking._

"_Little hero, you may have defeated me and put me back into my sleep, but you can never truly win. Nothing lasts forever, and eventually, the earth will reclaim everything. Your home, family, friends, and loved ones. The earth will always take everything, given time."_

_Then she stopped speaking, and slowly, painfully, drew the knife across her throat, and I heard her voice, even though she was unconscious, yelling. "Perseus! Percy!"_

My eyes opened and I jolted up, still remembering the feeling of my lungs burning, and watching helplessly as Gaia had killed what had been everyone I cared about, and had been Artemis.

My breaths were coming in jagged gasps, trying to get oxygen into my system and my arms were shaking.

I looked over to see a hand on my shoulder, and then up to see Artemis's face, silver eyes full of concern, and before I knew what was happening I had her held tightly to myself. I didn't know what I was doing, but my mind was full of the image of her neck being slowly slit open and her voice yelling for me. I felt a hesitant touch against my back, and just stayed there for a few minutes.

After the few minutes of not moving, I realized what I was doing and quickly recoiled, letting go of her.

"Lady Artemis, I'm- I didn't mean to-" I tried to explain, but she interrupted me.

"Perseus, it's fine. Are you alright?"

I remembered where I was and moved my hand to my stomach, which was now bandaged.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay."

I looked back up to see Artemis pursing her lips.

"What about… Whatever just happened?"

What just happened? Was she talking about me… hugging her when I woke up?

"What do you mean?"

"You woke up and you were terrified, what was wrong?"

So she wasn't mad about the hug, at least not outwardly. She probably saw it and was just trying to comfort me.

I looked down at my lap, ashamed that I'd let a dream get to me so badly.

"Nothing, I'm fine."

Artemis paused, and didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"Well, get some rest. We need to figure out how you got injured, but you need to recover first."

I nodded and laid back down on the bed, hoping to get some rest, but knowing that the nightmares would come back if I fell asleep.

I saw Artemis look down at my bandaged stomach, then she looked at my face and I could see concern with some confusion in her eyes, then she turned and left the tent.

I sighed. One more person who was just going to pity me. Now, Artemis would just see me as someone who is mentally unstable, as well as a male only fit for chores.

I closed my eyes, hoping to rest, without sleep, and thought about my nightmare.

**That's it for this chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed, and again, I'm sorry that I may not update for a long time, but I hope this will be enough for now. Please leave a review, and I hope to see you in the next one!**


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